2009-01-13 - InsidePoker Business

Article: "DIGITAL TABLES - ONLINE GOES LIVE"

As the online gaming market matures, traditional marketing channels such as TV and printed media, while still valuable, are becoming less effective. The cost per acquisition (CPA) is getting higher and therefore online gaming operators are looking for new, more cost-effective ways of promoting their services.

In order to be a successful online gaming operator over time, it’s safe to assume that a strong presence in the offline world is crucial. To this end, operators such as PokerStars are heavily involved in sponsoring live events, while other operators are teaming up with chains of pubs, sports bars and snooker clubs in order to get exposure of their brand.

However, the value of these partnerships has always been limited. No matter how much brand exposure is gained, the online gaming services and the ‘real world’ events that bear their name have always remained essentially separate. Now, however, there is a new opportunity to market online gaming services in offline environments, one that is far more direct and immediate than any traditional method. Digital tables offer instant access to promoted poker sites at live events, thereby making it easier to get new registrations and to keep the players active at the site.

Top tables

Digital poker tables can be viewed as fancy internet terminals with a number of additional tools and features installed. The furniture, as well as the software that runs on the screens (digital keyboard, start menu, screen saver and banners) can be branded according to the sponsor’s requirements. The software can also be configured in different ways, for example blocking all downloads and allowing or disallowing access to certain web pages.

It is also possible to charge customers for surfing the web while access to the sponsor’s site remains free of charge. The tables are administrated remotely, making installation of software, configuration changes and trouble-shooting easy to perform. The promotional content can be updated in real time, meaning that the messages shown at the table can be time-sensitive and never need become outdated.

For example, an online poker tournament that starts at 7pm on a particular day can be promoted on screen savers and the start menu throughout the day, then once the tournament has started the message can be replaced automatically by a bonus offer. The digital tables can be built with different numbers of seats but the heads-up table is best suited to using the table for marketing purposes.

The same tables can also be installed with software (ElecPoker™) that can deal poker games from a local server. This system replaces the dealer that is needed in live games and is designed for poker clubs and casinos. In this way the tables function in a similar fashion to other ‘electronic dealer’ style tables increasingly being found in live casinos.

Events branding

Corporate poker events where staff are invited to learn more about poker and play in a freeroll tournament have become very popular of late. Normally, a poker day is arranged by an event organiser on behalf of a company seeking to arrange something fun for its staff, or for an online gaming operator that wants to hold a promotional event. In more traditional events the sponsor simply gets brand exposure but there is seldom any direct link that guarantees that the players participating will ever become customers.

At promotional events held on digital tables, however, the players would normally be required to have an account on the sponsor’s gaming site in order to participate, as the tournament would be played online. The players would need to register in order to play and they could later be approached directly by the online gaming site. As such, the value for the sponsor increases considerably.

Digital tables can also create an opportunity for event companies to find sponsors for their events, as it is possible to expose several different brands at the same event. For example, a brewery might want to buy sponsorship on the physical table if an event takes place in a pub, while the online gaming operator might prefer to be seen on the screens. Such co-sponsorships could reduce the costs for each individual sponsor.

Legal issues

When using digital tables it is important to be aware of local regulations, as the gaming industry is heavily regulated in many countries. For certain types of gaming, different licences may be needed in order to provide or market gambling services. Such regulations may restrict the possibilities of using digital tables in some markets or by certain operators. This is especially pertinent if the gaming activities in question take place offline or on digital tables running software on a local server.

If a digital table is connected only to a remote gaming supplier it is likely that the table will be looked at as a ‘gaming device’ even if the connection is only through the internet. However, if the table can also be used for surfing the net or using other online services it should be treated like any other internet terminal. How extensively online gaming services can be promoted on an internet terminal is not clear, but the tables can easily be configured to operate within the local legal framework.

Live presence

Digital tables present an opportunity to bridge the gap between the online and offline poker worlds. Some online gaming operators, such as traditional bookmakers, already have a physical presence through their betting shops. In other cases the online operators need to team up with local partners in order to be seen on the tables. This can be done either directly or via a third party distributing digital tables and selling advertising on them, but either way the benefits to the operator are the same.

Article in PDF: http://www.connectedtable.com/assets/Tables/Article-InsidePoker-Business.pdf

Connected Table AB is a developer of exclusive digital tables and supporting software, customised for the gaming industry. The tables can host poker games in traditional gaming environments such as casinos, poker clubs and cruise ships. In such cases, the games run on a server on the premises (ElecPoker^TM). When connected to the Internet, the tables serve as attractive marketing spots for online gaming services in public establishments. The Internet tables can be monitored and managed remotely, allowing new configurations and commercial messages to be pushed to the tables in real time (ElecKiosk^TM). Tables can also be used for displaying information, or can be used for surfing the Internet against payment.